Colored Rocks Announces $5,000 in Prizes for Young Men of Color

Atlanta, Georgia (PressExposure) August 08, 2011 -- The Colored Rocks Foundation has just announced it will award $5,000 in prize money for its first annual essay competition. The initial prizes awarded by the foundation will be made in September 2011 and are limited to young men of color who are attending high school in Georgia. The competition is open to those students who have completed their junior year of high school and who expect to be a senior graduating in 2012. Fifteen prizes will be awarded ranging from $3500 (First Place) to $50 (Honorable Mention).

Contestants will be judged on their written composition answering a thought provoking question. Included in each composition must be a plan for the applicant to use his talent to complete a project that benefits his community. All announced winners must complete their community project and graduate from high school before receiving their award. Winners do not have to use their prize money for college. They may use it for whatever purpose they desire.

"Though we applaud students who go to college, not everyone needs or wants to take that step in order to find their walk in life," claims Cheryl Dukes, the founder and executive director of the foundation. "We believe all walks of life are necessary in order to have a functioning society. Through our awards, we will show that young men of color can be significant contributors to their communities, no matter their chosen discipline. The important thing is to choose something and do it well."

Georgia suffers as one of 5 states with the worst high school graduation rates in the country. Those numbers are especially high amongst male students from diverse ethnic backgrounds. "It's disturbing that many of these young men are struggling to graduate from Georgia high schools," said Dukes. "In establishing the foundation, we saw this as an opportunity to turnaround one of Georgia's most pressing challenges and promising resources. Our intent is to help increase the numbers of African Americans, Native Americans, Asian Pacific Americans, Latino Americans and Multi-Racial Americans completing high school and using their talent to make a positive impact in their communities."

By creating a series of prize competitions, the foundation hopes to identify these 'colored rocks', award them and celebrate them. "Our vision," said Dukes, "is for our awardees to go into their communities as rising tides and lift a few more boats. If we can provide the platform for them to do this consistently, we'll all win."

The foundation expects to expand the awards beyond Georgia, and make the competition available in a variety of categories as the foundation grows.

Contest applications may be obtained and submitted online at http://www.coloredrocks.org. Deadline for entering the competition is October 22, 2011.